Container



W. WINTER CONTAINER Jan" 3 WW Filed Aug. 9, 1965 ATTORNEY United States Patent M 3,295,745 CONTAINER Willibald Winter, Bubenreuth, near Erlangen, Germany Filed Aug. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 478,160 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 14, 1964, W 33,240 2 Claims. ([1]. 229-67) This invention relates to a cask-like container. The same simulates a brandy cask and is used to provide an aesthetically attractive package for articles in solid or liquid form.

It is an object of this improvement so to devise a casklike container of the kind specified that the same can be produced at very low cost without losing any of its external attractiveness. According to the improvement, therefore, a body which extends around a hollow interior and which has side surfaces curved like a timber cask or barrel or the like is covered by a prefabricated covering whose outside is formed with lengthwise impressions in imita tion of staves and with transverse impressions in imitation of hoops. Consequently, the container has the external appearance of a timber cask or barrel or the like, but the complexity associated with manufacture of a timber cask does not enter into the manufacture of the container according to the improvement. According to another fea ture, the covering is made of a resilient material, such as plastics in sheet or foil form. More particularly, the plastics sheet is of a foamed PVC, so that the container has a very pleasant feel, being soft like a covering of leather. The extra step of providing a special graining on the outside of the foamed PVC foil gives an imitation leather effect which helps to give the container a very valuable appearance.

According to another feature, the prefabricated covering has the shape of a hollow cylinder, more particularly of a hollow cylinder closed at one end. In this case, the side walls of the prefabricated covering form the hollow cylinder and are made of a strip of foil whose two side edges are joined together ring-fashion, the strip being formed with parallel longitudinal impressions and with parallel transverse impressions. When the foil is drawn over the container, the areas between the longitudinal impressions stretch, more particularly near the center of the container, to give a very realistic impression of real staves which are wider at the center than at both ends.

According to another feature, the prefabricated covering sticks to the outside surfaces of the main body or member frictionally by its own resilience and without adhesive. Also, a free circumferential edge of the covering extends beyond the end edge of the container aperture and is overturned into the container interior. In this case, that part of the covering which extends into the container interior is pressed into engagement with the container inner wall by a pressed-in lid lined with a covering sheet.

A particular embodiment of the invention, by way of example, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective and diagrammatic view of a container according to the improvement during manufacture;

FIG. 2 is a plan view looking in the direction of an arrow II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view, on the section line III-III of FIG. 4, showing some of the prefabricated covering in a region near the bottom of the container, and

FIG. 4 is a plan view in the direction indicated by an arrow IV in FIG. 3.

A cask-like container having the general reference 1 comprises a body structure 2, having an exterior side surface 3 Which curves longitudinally like a timber cask or 3 ,295,745 Patented Jan. 3, 1967 barrel. The body 2 is closed at one end by a base 4 which can either be unitary with the body 2 or produced separately. The body 2 is covered by a prefabricated covering 5 formed on its outside 6 with longitudinal impressions 7 and transverse impressions 8. The longitudinal impressions simulate cask staves and the transverse impressions simulate cask hoops. The covering 5 illustrated, is made of a foamed PVC foil. As can be gathered from FIGS. 3 and 4, in its prefabricated form the covering 5 in appearance resembles a hollow cylinder closed at one end 9, the covering side walls 10 taking the form of a strip of foil whose two side edges are joined together like a ring. correspondingly, the junction or seam between the two side edges extends parallel with the lengthwise impressions 7, and the same are parallel with one another on the strip of foil. An area 11 is left blank on a part of the periphery of the container 1 between the lengthwise impressions 7 and can receive a label or be formed with impressions to denote origin.

As FIG. 1 shows, the prefabricated covering adheres by friction to the outside surfaces of the body because of its own resilience and without the use of adhesive. The covering is drawn cold over such surfaces.

A free circumferential marginal end portion of the covering 5 extends beyond the peripheral end edge 12 of the cask or container aperture 13 and is overturned into the container interior 14, where the said marginal end portion 15 engages tightly with the container inner wall 16, at least in an area visible from outside the container. This is conveniently achieved by a lid 17 which is pressed into the aperture 13. A shoulder 18 on the body 2 limits the extent to which the lid 17 is pressed into the aperture 13. Also, the upper face of the lid 17 is covered with a foil coating, preferably with the same material as the foil used for the covering 5.

The container interior may be provided with an insert or lining of glass or other material such as plastics. If required, such insert may be in the form of a cylindrical container or bottle which fits tightly in the cylindrical interior of the cask. The said container or bottle is provided with a combined filling and discharge aperture conveniently formed in a neck or tube-like portion which extends through an aperture in the lid 17, and shown inbroken lines in FIG. 2.

The body structure of the cask may be formed from a soft material such as fiber or cardboard, and which may be reinforced by a band-like ring secured to the interior circumference of the body at its longitudinal center.

A body structure of such material provides a resilient and protective housing for a glass or the like container or bottle.

Cask-like containers having an inner glass container or bottle constructed as above described, are particularly suitable for constructing in miniature form, for example, 7" in length and 5" maximum diameter, to provide an attractive cask-like container for storing, selling and dispensing beverages and particularly whisky or other alcoholic beverages.

I claim:

1. A cask-like container, comprising a body structure having a hollow interior and an exterior side surface curved like a timber cask, and a prefabricated covering, the outer face of which is formed with longitudinal impressions simulating cask staves and with transverse impressions simulating cask hoops,

said prefabricated covering being made of resilient material, and retained by its resiliency on the exterior surface of the body, the areas of the prefabricated covering between the longitudinal impressions and particularly adjacent the center of the container, be-

3 4 ing stretched transversely to simulate staves having a Relerences Cited by the Examiner greater Width at the center than at both ends, UNITED STATES PATENTS sa1d prefabricated covering lncluding a free upper portion, in the form of a hollow tube covering the ex- 1,125,735 1/1915 Schaun! 6t terior side surface and bottom of said body, the said 5 2,458,737 1/1949 Salkowltz 215 12 X free upper portion extending beyond the peripheral 2,538,682 1/1951 Gramelspacher X upper edge defining the open upper end of said body, O G PATENTS and being overturned into contact With the interior l of said body. Great Britaln.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 including a lid 10 349535 11/1960 Switzerlandpressed into the said open upper end of said body to retain JOSEPH R. LECLAIR Primary Examiner said overturned free upper portion in contact With the body interior. D. F. NORTON, Asszstant Examiner. 

1. A CASK-LIKE CONTAINER, COMPRISING A BODY STRUCTURE HAVING A HOLLOW INTERIOR AND AN EXTERIOR SIDE SURFACE CURVED LIKE A TIMBER CASK, AND A PREFABRICATED COVERING, THE OUTER FACE OF WHICH IS FORMED WITH LONGITUDINAL IMPRESSIONS SIMULATING CASK STAVES AND WITH TRANSVERSE IMPRESSIONS SIMULATING CASK HOOPS, SAID PREFABRICATED COVERING BEING MADE OF RESILIENT MATERIAL, AND RETAINED BY ITS RESILIENCY ON THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE BODY, THE AREAS OF THE PREFABRICATED COVERING BETWEEN THE LONGITUDINAL IMPRESSIONS AND PARTICULARLY ADJACENT THE CENTER OF THE CONTAINER, BEING STRETCHED TRANSVERSELY TO SIMULATE STAVES HAVING A GREATER WIDTH AT THE CENTER THAN AT BOTH ENDS, SAID PREFABRICATED COVERING INCLUDING A FREE UPPER PORTION, IN THE FORM OF A HOLLOW TUBE COVERING THE EXTERIOR SIDE SURFACE AND BOTTOM OF SAID BODY, THE SAID 